# Recommend some higher-brow comedy movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 11, 2008, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106 "2008-01-11T08:09:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106/21 "2008-01-11T19:07:54Z")
If she wants to watch something with Will Ferrell, try **Stranger Than Fiction**. ---
**Author:** ![Taber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac91a4/32.png) [@Taber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taber)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106/22 "2008-01-11T19:08:45Z")
maybe Stranger than Fiction? edit: preview is my friend ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106/23 "2008-01-11T19:11:57Z")
Yeah, I was going to come in here and mention Dogma and The Big Lebowski. Screw you guys. 😉 Anyhow, you might give Stardust (2007) a try if you’re into Prattchet and Gaiman. I found it hilarious (" . . . thoroughly!") and some of the jokes were obscure enough to count as high-brow, while others were obvious but fun visual gag we all laughed at. Other than that, how about watching a series? Dead Like Me is both satisfying on an intellectual level as well as hilarious. (It’s got a lot of gallows humour, for obvious reasons) Hell, I got more laughs out of that than Groundhog Day, Airplane and the Simpsons Movie alltogether. And I like those movies! ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106/24 "2008-01-11T19:14:26Z")
Cold Comfort Farm!! Not only is that Kate whatsherface adorable in it-it’s just one big satire on Thomas Hardy novels. And I find it excruciatingly funny. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106/25 "2008-01-11T19:14:46Z")
Election is one of my favorite movies ever. It balances high and low brow well, so everyone can enjoy it. The Royal Tenenbaums and Get Shorty are two other faves. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106/26 "2008-01-11T19:24:04Z")
La Cage aux Folles and the American remake, the Birdcage French Twist Clue Clueless ETA: Totally agree with Election. ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106/27 "2008-01-11T19:37:23Z")
Not usually thought of as a comedy, but I find _The Maltese Falcon_ hilarious. All those over the top villains doing horrible things to each other, and Spade’s reactions never being what you’d expect. ---
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106/28 "2008-01-11T20:13:55Z")
IME, you’d have to look to the pre-codes. I’m honestly not trying to sound pretentious - those movies are genuinely hilarious. I don’t know about being “high-brow”, but they’re not as broad as the movies you mentioned and they certainly are witty. The gut-busters I can remember are: Should Ladies Behave - a family is visited by a man once an old lover of the mother and now in love with the daughter. The (married) mom spends to movie trying to rekindle their love and convince the daughter of their ancient affair. Watch all the way to the end, it has the best reveal ever. Red-headed Woman - a slutty red-headed (dyed) woman seduces her naive married boss and disrupts the high society in which he participates when she convinces him to leave his wife for her. Her home-wrecking doesn’t stop there, though… Also has a great 30’s ending. Trouble in Paradise - a couple of high-class thieves, once romantically involved, re-unite in Italy. Another perfectly glib pre-code ending. Penrod & Sam - basically the movie version of the Little Rascals (though not really having anything to do with that series). Hi-freaking-larious from beginning to end. The acting and characterizations are PERFECT. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106/29 "2008-01-11T20:28:27Z")
[QUOTE=anu-la1979] Cold Comfort Farm!! Not only is that Kate whatsherface adorable in it-it’s just one big satire on Thomas Hardy novels. And I find it excruciatingly funny. [/QUOTE] I loved that one! I also liked “Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story” ---
**Author:** ![Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_and_a_Half_Inches_of_Fun)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106/30 "2008-01-11T20:36:22Z")
Wonder Boys. Little seen but very good. > **[Wonder Boys (2000) ⭐ 7.2 | Comedy, Drama](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185014/)** > > 1h 47m | R ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106/31 "2008-01-11T20:50:29Z")
Being John Malkovich. But there is a monkey, so it’s not too high-brow. ---
**Author:** ![sockswsandals](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@sockswsandals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sockswsandals)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106/32 "2008-01-11T21:28:42Z")
Well with several of my other choices already mentioned I’ll throw in **Scotland, P.A.** as an excellent dark comedy. It is based on MacBeth so it is good storywise (if you are in to Shakespeare), and also a riot. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106/33 "2008-01-11T22:24:30Z")
Little Miss Sunshine \<-- sweet and funny Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang \<-- definitely not sweet but very funny Stranger Than Fiction \<-- not LOL funny, but more the kind of movie you’re smiling through I love Dodgeball, even though I’m not a big fan of physical humor overall. For some reason, that movie makes me giggle. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106/34 "2008-01-11T22:26:04Z")
[QUOTE=Two and a Half Inches of Fun] Wonder Boys. Little seen but very good. [http://www.imdb.com/Title?0185014](http://www.imdb.com/Title?0185014) [/QUOTE] I can’t think of the part you think is comedic. (Unless you find a-holes going around complaining about the world humorous for some reason.) :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106/35 "2008-01-11T22:49:36Z")
_Living in Oblivion_ is really damn funny. The dwarf’s rant alone is worth the price of rental. A lot of these movies are excellent recommendations, except for _Groundhog Day_, which is jaw-droppingly terrible. Great concept, terrible execution. _Dr. Strangelove_ is probably the only movie that I like more each time I see it; for my tastes, it is the perfect comedy. I agree also with _The Maltese Falcon_: while there’s some serious moments, the dialogue in it sparkles, and the first time I saw it, I was laughing in amazed delight at many of the exchanges. _The Big Sleep_ is the same way, to a lesser degree. _The Thin Man_ is another hilarious mystery movie. And _The Pink Panther_ isn’t exactly highbrow, and isn’t consistently funny, but that car chase cracks me up every time. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106/36 "2008-01-11T23:06:42Z")
_Idiocracy_! High brow **and** low brow all-in-one! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106/37 "2008-01-11T23:11:07Z")
First thing that comes to mind is _High Fidelity_ (John Cusack, Jack Black). ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106/38 "2008-01-11T23:25:05Z")
I’ve always thought of The Fifth Element as a comedy. Yes it’s got the action and the romance, but it’s just too over the top. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106/39 "2008-01-11T23:54:20Z")
_Fierce Creatures_. I can’t believe how many people love _A Fish Called Wanda_ and have never heard of this one, which I think is even better with basically the same cast. ---
**Author:** ![Dunawake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dunawake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunawake)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106/40 "2008-01-11T23:56:53Z")
[QUOTE=Yllaria] I’ve always thought of The Fifth Element as a comedy. Yes it’s got the action and the romance, but it’s just too over the top. [/QUOTE] The Fifth Element is basically purified fun in movie form. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-higher-brow-comedy-movies/433106.md?page=3)